Google’s Chrome Will Start Removing “Failing” Ads In February

Google will launch the Chrome browser’s built-in ad-blocking service February 15 next year, the company said in a developer page update on Tuesday.

The new Chrome ad blocker will be based on standards established by the Coalition for Better Ads (CFBA), and will be the default service for all Chrome browser users. Banned units include autoplay videos with automatic sound and prestitial countdown ads, which are full-page takeovers that activate before entering a site. Chrome had previously pledged to block certain ad units once the CFBA’s framework was in place.

The CFBA announced its Better Ads Experience Program on Monday. Beginning in January, the group will certify publishers and supply-side networks that agree to abide by the standards and block ads to those that don’t.

The CFBA and Google did not respond to request for comment in time for publication.

When news of Chrome’s intention to block ads based on the CFBA program first broke earlier this year, stakeholders across the industry, including fellow members of the CFBA, were unsure how the program would be enacted or enforced. Chrome’s mid-February implementation gives media companies time to sign up for the program, but there are still important details missing, like the registration process and on potential fees.

The CFBA’s news release said those details will be published for review in January when certification begins.